(1) Field of the Invention
Vertical gardening allows gardeners to cultivate and display their flower, spice, and vegetable plants in very limited spaces or what would otherwise be untenable gardening locations.
(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Vertical gardens are becoming increasingly popular in peoples' homes, both in their houses and in limited outdoor areas, as people move towards urban areas and desire to grow their own food. Vertical gardens began as an experiment in 1988. Gardeners frustrated with little outdoor space could make the most of their space with a vertical garden. Today, companies sell ready-made systems and all-in-one kits for gardeners who want to have gardens in small spaces at home.
The costs and aesthetics of many existing systems lack appeal to consumers. The present invention creates a vertical gardening system that is cost-effective, has the ability to be mass-produced, and is aesthetically pleasing.
The prior art reference “The Vertical Garden” is a modular planter that has blocks that are arranged in a circular formation. The present invention's blocks are arranged in a linear formation. The Vertical Garden can only stack up to six levels high and cannot expand horizontally. The Vertical Garden can also be hung on a wall. The Vertical Garden is intended to stack the blocks only vertically and not horizontally. The Vertical Garden advertises that “you use vertical space to stack, hang and plant, saving your horizontal space.” The present invention can stack up to ten blocks high and unlimited blocks wide, enabling it to also serve as a wall. The Vertical Garden cannot serve as a wall. The present invention is not intended to be hung on a wall. The Vertical Garden's blocks are for smaller scale use than the present invention's blocks.
The “Grow Wall” prior art reference does not feature interlocking blocks. The Grow Wall is comprised of several individual compartments that are separately secured in a holder. The compartments do not touch each other and are not connected to each other.
The inventor's prior art reference “Advancing the Vertical Garden” refers to the present invention. The abstract is from a poster presentation symposium at Carnegie Mellon University.